When Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd takes the Wrigley Field mound in Game 1 of the wild-card series, he’ll know what to do with the extra nerves and excitement that come with playoff stakes. “It’s all energy,” Boyd said in a recent conversation with the Sun-Times. “You just acknowledge it for what it is, and you feed off it.”

When the Chicago Cubs won the World Series against the Cleveland Guardians in 2016, the Cubs ended a 108-year drought. Entering the 2025 postseason, it has been nine years since they have won it all.

Chicago Cubs pitcher Matthew Boyd will throw the first pitch of Tuesday’s wild card series opener, and it will mean the world to him for an important reason.

The 35-year-old reunited with his former manager, Craig Counsell, when he joined the Cubs this season. Chicago signed him when he entered into free agency hoping to add depth to their pitching staff and the team is lucky that they locked him down.

Chicago Cubs pitcher Matthew Boyd shares emotional reaction to starting Game 1 vs. the San Diego Padres in 2025 NL Wild Card Series.

The timing of it all could prove to be critical as the Cubs enter the postseason once again looking like a strong offensive group.

We know the Cubs are going to hit. Pete Crow-Armstrong has come crashing back to Earth, and Kyle Tucker has hit a rocky (to put it kindly) second half of the season, but this lineup remains as deep and dangerous as just about any in the National League.